Solenne Thornton Parents: British Girl, 11, Killed by Neighbor in France over Land Dispute
Solenne Thornton Parents:- On Saturday night, a tragedy struck a British family living in a village in Brittany, France. Solenne Thornton, an 11-year-old girl, was shot dead by a neighbor while playing on swings in her garden.
Who are Solenne Thornton’s Parents?
Solenne Thornton’s parents, Adrian, and Rachel Thornton, were also wounded in the attack. Her younger sister, Céleste, aged eight, managed to escape and alert the authorities.
The suspect, identified as Dirk Raats, a 71-year-old Belgian man, was arrested and charged with murder and attempted murder. He reportedly had a long-standing dispute with the Thornton family over a piece of land and noise pollution.
What happened between Dirk Raats and Solenne Thornton’s Family?
The Thorntons had moved to Saint-Herbot, a small hamlet near Plonévez-du-Faou in western France, in 2019. They had bought a former sawmill and converted it into a home. They were well-liked by the locals and participated in village events.
On Saturday evening, they were enjoying a barbecue in their garden and the girls were playing on swings. Adrian Thornton, 52, was doing some gardening work on the hedge that separated their property from Raats’. This apparently angered Raats, who grabbed a rifle and fired several shots at the family.
Solenne was killed instantly by a bullet to the chest. Her father was shot in the head and is in critical condition at a hospital. Her mother, 49, was shot in the back and the head but is expected to survive. Céleste ran to a neighboring house and called for help.
The police arrived at the scene and arrested Raats without resistance. They also seized his weapon and ammunition. He was taken to a court in Brest on Monday and formally charged with murder and attempted murder. He told the judge: “It’s so horrible what’s happened. I don’t understand.”
A conflict over land and noise
According to the local authorities and neighbors, Raats and his wife had been living in Saint-Herbot for about 10 years. They were described as “reclusive” and “unfriendly”. They had been involved in a conflict with the Thorntons over a plot of land adjoining their properties and over the noise that dated back three years.
Raats had complained that the Thorntons had cut down trees on their land that protected his privacy. He had also complained about the noise from their chainsaw and their children playing. He had filed several complaints with the mayor and the police but they had been dismissed as unfounded.
Marguerite Bleuzen, the mayor of Plonévez-du-Faou, said she was aware of the dispute but did not expect it to escalate to such violence. “We knew the family well. There is a village fete every year and they always came,” she said. “It’s completely incomprehensible to have shot a child. This happened without any warning.”
A shock for the British community
The shooting has shocked the British community in France, which numbers about 150,000 people according to official estimates. Many of them live in rural areas like Brittany, where they enjoy the culture and lifestyle.
The British embassy in Paris said it was providing consular assistance to the Thornton family and expressed its condolences. “We are deeply saddened by this tragic incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of those affected,” a spokesperson said.
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also sent a message of sympathy to the family and condemned the attack as “barbaric”. He said he would ensure that justice is done and that security is reinforced in rural areas.
The shooting came just days after another violent incident involving British nationals in France. On Wednesday, four children and two adults were stabbed by an unknown assailant in a park in Annecy, eastern France. The motive for that attack remains unclear.
Photo Source- SkyNews
